
Bobcat News
March 3, 2024
Have you donated yet? Our Bobcat Community needs your help!
Thank you to the families who have donated to our BHSM PTSA/Foundation Donation Drive! Almost 10% of our community has donated a total of $5800. Have you donated yet?
Our goal is for each student to donate $20 (or whatever you can), with 1500 students this will give us $30,000. We know some families may not be able to give $20 and others can donate more but our goal is 90% participation by March 8th.
This money will go towards fiberglass umbrellas for the tables in the lunch quad and will supply teachers with copy paper to print.
Bernardo Heights Education Foundation is a 501c3 organization that raises funds to help revitalize and update our campus in support of teachers and students!
Each Bobcat who donates by March 8th will be entered into a drawing for gift cards, Museum/attraction passes, and more!
Each 8th grade Bobcat who donates $50 or more will also be entered into a separate drawing for four front row seats and one up front parking spot for promotion! (two families will win this prize.)
Bobcat Community, we need your help! Help us to continue to improve BHMS and donate TODAY!
ASES Sports Updates
Soccer:
The ASES soccer team will be having an instructional meeting on Thursday, March 7th at 2:30 pm in the MPR. Any interested students should be present for this meeting to learn more about tryouts and evaluations. Also, we are looking for an individual to assist with coaching our soccer team for the upcoming season. If you or someone you know is interested, please contact ASES supervisor Treye Marshall Lund for more information at tmarshalllund@powayusd.com.
Wrestling:
The ASES wrestling team will be starting the week of March 18th. An informational meeting will take place before the season officially starts, and the date for this will be announced in next week’s Bobcat News. Any questions can be directed to ASES supervisor Treye Marshall Lund at tmarshalllund@powayusd.com, or RBHS wrestling coach Joe Terribilini at jterribilini@powayusd.com.
Spirit Days
3/1 - Bobcat Colors (Red/Black)
3/8 - Neon Day
3/15 - Green Day (St. Patrick's Day)
8th Grade Family Night
Please see this link 8th Grade Transition to High School for information about 8th Grade Family Night on March 12 at RBHS, plus information about Course Request Forms, and more!
Quarter 3 Progress Reports Available
Students Quarter 3 Progress Reports are available in ParentVue. Log into myplan.powayusd.com with your parent account information and click on “Synergy Parent Portal”.
Report cards are visible in the “Report Card” tab in the left side navigation. Select “P5 Quarter 3 Progress” in the drop-down menu. Printable version is available in the “Documents” tab.
Paper copies of progress reports will be sent home for 6th grade students.
If you have questions or concerns regarding your student’s Quarter 3 Progress Report, please reach out to the teacher(s) directly.
Let’s be good neighbors!
BHMS is partnering with CVS to start a positive incentive program! Parents, we need your help:
Please encourage your students to use their PRIDE at CVS.
Some issues at hand are:
- Trash left outside
- Graffiti
- Theft
- Rude behavior
CVS requests that you do not use CVS as a pick up/drop up location for your students.
Lets keep our community clean, safe and beautiful!
BHMS has received Purple Star School Designation!
About the Purple Star School Designation:
The California Purple Star School Designation Program (Purple Star Program) seeks to reduce the burden on military-connected students and their families by articulating the most critical transition supports for military-connected students and their families by publicly designating schools that meet certain requirements. The program signals which schools are the most committed and best equipped to meet their unique needs.
The Purple Star Program was designed to help mitigate the challenges of high mobility by setting standards for and publicly designating military-friendly schools. The Purple Star Program’s true value derives from its potential to:
- Centralize and make knowledge accessible,
- Develop stakeholder networks, and
- Support schools in cultivating and communicating cultural competency in supporting military-connected families.
Family Engagement Survey
Parents of English Learners- Today through Friday, March 1st, Poway Unified will be conducting our Family Engagement and Accountability survey to gather input from all families of English Learner students. This survey helps shape the District’s goals and guide priorities for the 2024-2025 school year. Your feedback is extremely helpful as we continue to seek ways to better our English Learner program. Please click HERE to complete the survey.
It's our last hockey night of the school year! BHMS PTSA is partnering with the LA Kings to bring you a fun-filled night of hockey with our Bobcat Community. A portion of the ticket proceeds are donated back to the BHMS PTSA and directly supports our students and school. We hope to see you all there!
When: March 9th | 7:30pm | LA Kings vs Dallas Stars
Where: Crypto Arena Los Angeles
BHMS Foundation and PTSA
Mark your calendars!
We are so excited to have our 1st BHMS Foundation and PTSA Fundraiser of the school year March 4th through March 8th.
There will be several chances to win prizes if you make a donation the week of March 4th through March 8th.
Bernardo Heights Educational Foundation is a 501 (c) 3 organization that raises funds to help revitalize & update our campus in support of teachers and students.
This year our goal is to raise funds to provide shade in the quad area. We would like to purchase fiberglass umbrellas for the tables and supply the teachers with copy paper.
For your convenience, below is a link for donations and flier attached with more information.
https://bhms-foudation-ptsa-fundraiser.cheddarup.com/
Thank you for your support!!!
Get to know your PTSA!
Do you want to know how the BHMS PTSA works or how you can support the school and the community? If you answered yes, then, you are invited to attend the PTSA meetings. See below for the schedule:
- Wednesday, March 13, 6:00-7:00 PM, BHMS Library
- Thursday, April 25, 6:00-7:00 PM, BHMS Library
Intro to Hope Squad
Exciting News: Introducing “HOPE Squad” to Support Our Bobcat Students!
We are thrilled to announce the rollout of a new initiative that aims to promote the well-being and mental health of our middle school students – the HOPE Squad!
What is Hope Squad?
The HOPE Squad is a student-led program dedicated to fostering a supportive and compassionate environment within our school community. Its primary focus is on promoting mental health awareness, providing peer support, and creating a safe space for students to express their thoughts and feelings. Hope Squad members are nominated by their classmates as trustworthy peers and trained by advisors.Squad members provide friendship, identify warning signs, and seek help from adults. Hope Squad members are NOT taught to act as counselors, but rather are educated to recognize signs of a peer in need of mental health support, and respectfully report concerns to an adult. The program reduces the risk of youth suicide through education, training, and peer intervention.
The Mission
"Our goal is to prevent suicide through public awareness and education, reduce stigma, and serve as a resource to those touched by suicide."
Core Values
1. Education
The Hope Squad program was built by educators in partnership with mental health experts. The evidence-based training changes how schools approach mental health and suicide prevention.
2. Taking Initiative
Hope Squad members are trained to take action when someone is struggling. Instead of waiting for a peer to come to them, Hope Squad members are the ones to reach out first.
3. Open Mindedness
Hope Squad members are trained to be aware of their peers and watch for warning signs. They learn to show empathy to their peers, listen without judgment, and reduce stigma regarding help-seeking and mental illness.
4. Self-care
You can help others best if you are also taking care of yourself. We advocate for maintaining healthy boundaries, building resilience, and avoiding burnout.
5. Community
It takes a village to raise a child, and it takes an entire community to save one. The Circles4Hope model recognizes the role of mental health partnerships, school programs, and community connections working together for suicide prevention.
Hope Squads seek to reduce self-destructive behavior and youth suicide by training, building, and creating change in schools and communities. Hope Squads will train students and staff in schools to recognize at risk warning signs and act upon those warnings to break the code of silence. Hope Squads will build positive relationships among peers and faculty to foster acceptance and inclusivity. This initiative aims to improve school culture and reduce the stigma around mental health.
For more information on HOPE Squad, check out their website, HOPEsquad.com.
The HOPE Squad Parent Page has numerous easily accessible resources linked here.
Information about the HOPE Squad will be shared with BHMS students when we return from the February Break.
Yearbook
Celebrate your Bobcat with a personal ad in the yearbook. It's easy to design your own ad with photos, colors and text. There are a variety of ad sizes to select from. Go to www.yearbookforever.com to purchase and design your own ad! Don't forget to add some color if you like.
If you have any questions please email achapman@powayusd.com.
Grab your BHMS yearbook today! We will sell out and you don't want to miss out!
STUDENT PARTICIPATION GUIDELINES
Students must meet the criteria listed below, each quarter in order to participate during the following quarter in school-sponsored activities.
● Fourth quarter end of the year activities will be based on final third quarter grades, citizenship, and work habits.
● Serious discipline infractions, which do not result in suspension, may result in revocation of eligibility.
These activities include, but are not limited to, dances, after-school program events, festivals, and grade-level end-of-year events.
Students must have:
- GPA of 2.0 or above
- A clear library record (no outstanding books or fines)
- No Grade of Needs Improvement (“N”) or Unacceptable (“U”) in Conduct
- No HOME OR IN-SCHOOL SUSPENSIONS-
- within the same quarter for whole school dances
- Q3 and Q4 for end of year events
PUSD Transfers
The Poway Unified transfer window is now open! Transfer requests for students who live within the Poway Unified boundaries and would like to attend a different Poway school other than their school of residence should be submitted online by visiting the PUSD webpage and clicking the “Transfers” link on the home page. This includes incoming siblings of current students. Please enroll your student at their school of residence when new student enrollment opens online on April 1, 2024. Transfer requests cannot be processed until the student is enrolled in their school of residence. The transfer window closes on March 31st at 5:00 pm. For more information, please visit PUSD’s Residency & Transfers webpage.
Classified Job Opportunities - we need YOU!
Classified Job Opportunities - Instructional Assistants, AVID tutors, noon supervisors and more!
Planned Absences
If the proper notice isn't given, the request may be denied.
Free Mental Health Webinar Series for Parents and Caregivers
Our Free Mental Health Webinar Series for Parents and Caregivers starts next week. This series will provide information on the most common mental health challenges youth are facing today as well as provide tips and tools to parents and caregivers to help them support the youth in their lives.
The series will cover the following topics:
March 13: From Darkness to Light: A Parent’s Guide to Recognizing and Responding to Youth Depression
April 24: Cultivating School-Life Balance to Support Academic Success
May 15: When Anxiety Attacks: How You Can Help
To register for any of the above sessions and for more information, please view the attached flyers. Note, the Spanish version of the flyer has been attached.
Free English Teen Positive Parenting Program
The FREE English Teen Positive Parenting Program via Zoom is back one more time in March before the end of this school year. Space is still available for parents that are interested in attending. This webinar series is designed for parents and will address raising responsible teenagers while improving family communication. These workshops do fill up quickly and parents have shared positive reviews and feedback.
- FREE Teen Positive Parenting Program (English) via ZOOM
Wednesdays, March 6th, March 13th, and March 20th, 2024 from 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Upcoming
March 12th &13th - Minimum days - noon dismissal
April 8 -12 - Spring Break
May 14th &15th - Minimum days - noon dismissal
May 27th - Memorial Day - No school
June 6th - Promotion
June 6th - Minimum day - noon dismissal
Social Media
Instagram - Principal@BHMS